Allard de Jong, international coach, Wisdom8

“A man's character is his fate.” - Heraclitus

“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike”.  - Theodore Roosevelt

If there is any good that comes from our current economic predicament, I hope it will be a rekindled relationship with reality.

Undoubtedly too, it will require leaders who can get us through these turbulent waters, into calmer blue oceans in the distant horizon. It will require Boards who can lead with character, with a different attitude and approach.

To do this, we need to start with the realisation that character is more important than talent, as we did not end up here due to a lack of talent!  It is character that makes the leader and the collective character of a company’s leaders that shapes its corporate character.

If we take care of our corporate character, our reputation will take care of us. In the words of Chuck Jones, the animation director of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck fame:  “If you start with character, you probably will end up with good drawings.” Alternatively we could turn to Eleanor Roosevelt: “Only a man's character is the real criterion of worth.”  

If you doubt this, please see how it applies to any great leader you hold in esteem for his or her positive impact and contribution.

Leading with character

Organisations cannot afford to not invest in their board members’ and their leaders’ character development - character flaws will cost your company dearly. Investing in “leading with character” buys you the knowledge that your organisation is led with integrity. It would seem that if leaders are expected to have a strong character and act from it, it could change the whole culture of their business.

Moreover the organisation’s members would feel valued, cared for and secure, which can only lead to better work.

In order to develop character as a means back to reality, we can draw from different approaches. One of the most elegant and practical ones I have come across has its origins in ancient Buddhist writings and is often referred to as the way of the “10 Perfections” – it is inspiring, ambitious and, rest assured, perfectly secular in nature.

 The 10 Perfections are:

Generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, compassion and equanimity, captured below:

1.    Generosity:  What leaders need to make available to their followers as much as they possibly can is their time, their attention, their know-how, and their willingness to listen and strive to understand. Generous leaders are more willing to share what they have, whether it’s information, power, knowledge, encouragement, or expertise.

2.    Morality: We reap what we sow. The question "what makes me feel good about myself?" rather than "what makes me feel good?" leads to actions leaders naturally engage in when they come from their good heart, from their innate ethical sensitivity. Wise boards make all their decisions in light of what is in their long-term best self-interest.

3.    Renunciation: Not a very popular or sexy word in today’s business world because we think it’s about giving up or being diminished in some way. But here it means to go forth, leaving behind old habits, leaving that what confines and restricts us – and, therefore, enhances a leader. It’s about letting go of things that make us suffer in the long run, even though they may seem very gratifying right here and now.

4.    Wisdom: What’s happening, really? High wisdom leaders cope with life better by making the best of situations, learn from life’s experiences and recognise and accept life’s uncertainties and unpredictability.

5.    Energy: Passion, diligence, vigor, effort, striving not to make “me” bigger but about making “us” bigger and leadership better. It’s the antidote to laziness, idleness and hesitation.

6.    Patience: Understand nature will take its own course and you won’t pull the young carrots out of the earth to see how they’re growing. As the antidote to reactivity, patience also guards us of getting caught up in the web of mental games we play with ourselves when we get praise, blame or face any other of life’s ups and downs.

7.    Truthfulness: Call a spade a spade, even when things are ugly. Have the difficult conversations, speak up and avoid the group-think trap (which rhymes with…). Telling the truth is a great relief because it doesn’t trigger the saboteur in the mind that says: “Don’t say this, What if they disagree, Stop, you’ll look foolish.” You are free to be yourself.

8.    Determination: The quality of endurance that enables us to continue. We all know leadership can be difficult; we need this to keep going in the face of those challenges. What is your board willing to do to make its vision come true?

9.    Compassion: What is it like to meet a compassionate, caring person? How do you feel when you do something kind? I don’t ask this in a sickly sweet hallmark kind of way, but invite you to remember that when our mind is happy there is enjoyment and benevolence. I may be way off but isn’t that what your people are looking for?

10.    Equanimity: Serenity, even mindedness, a mind that can be present with whatever arises in the moment (positive and negative emotions and situations. It’s the opposite of a reactive mind. After all, the best decisions are made in a calm and balanced mind.

These 10 are simultaneously the expression of, and the foundation for, effective and “back to reality” leadership. They are elements of a system that work together and support each other. Best of all, they are innate qualities of mind – natural inclinations to be cultivated, not created, a reminder of our inherent true nature underneath a lot of “stuff”. “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”, said Michelangelo.

Today more than ever, leadership is a huge responsibility: it bestows upon you the power to create a lot of good, or equally to cause a lot of collateral damage. What I’m suggesting here is a type of leadership that is informed by, and reflects, the 10 Perfections. From senselessness and delusion to reality, from appearances to character, from “Babbitt* to Buddha” – these are the keys to positively transform our boards, our organisations and ultimately, our world.

“How true Daddy's words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands”. - Anne Frank

*) Babbitt (BAB-it) noun: a self-satisfied narrow-minded person who conforms to conventional ideals of business and material success. After the main character in Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel Babbitt.